According to today’s edition of Record, Manchester United is prepared to pay over £86 million to get Benfica wonderkid Joao Neves this summer.

The Red Devils have been actively monitoring Neves’ development, and they dispatched representatives to see the teenager play tonight against Sporting.

According to the Record (page 6), the team is willing to spend more than £86 million to persuade Benfica to give up their valuable player at the end of the current campaign.

The amount may surpass the club record £90 million paid for Paul Pogba’s transfer from Juventus, but Benfica appears committed to holding onto him.

This implies that the Portuguese club’s £103 million buy-out clause—which the wonderkid may not be permitted to accept—may be the only reason he leaves.

Neves is a perfect substitute for Casemiro. Since making his debut with Benfica the previous season, the 19-year-old—who Bruno Fernandes has called a “excellent” player—has shown enormous promise. He has completed 56 passes per game with a 90% accuracy rate in the current campaign.

App Store Icon Google Play Icon Apart from this, the teenager has won an incredible 6.2 duels, 2.1 tackles, and 6.7 ball recoveries per league game. Almost sixty percent of his dribbles have been completed.

He seems like a great option to take Casemiro’s spot this summer. Compared to the Brazil international, the Portuguese are superior at ball control and distribution.

He has demonstrated a great deal of maturity despite his youth. For the next ten or so years, Neves and Kobbie Mainoo may make up a formidable pivot for United in the middle of the park. Although United and his agent Jorge Mendes get along well, they could need to activate his £103 million release clause in order to get him from Benfica.

Mendes has rejected negotiations for Neves’ contract extension, indicating that the super agency is attempting to get Mendes a high-profile transfer this summer.